Imperfect opening days

Julia Roberts might be grinning, but it has been another less than auspicious start to the year for local movies at the turnstiles, with One Perfect Day - the first Australian release for 2004 - failing to excite punters in its first weekend in cinemas.

Heading the box-office chart with Thursday to Sunday earnings of more than $2 million was Mona Lisa Smile, in which Roberts plays an art history teacher in an all-women college during the 1950s.

Despite mixed reviews, the drama also enjoyed the highest screen average of any top 10 film ($8648) as it sent the Farrelly brothers' comedy, Stuck on You, down to second place, with Under the Tuscan Sun, The Return of the King, and Big Fish holding down the remaining top five slots.

One Perfect Day, a contemporary drama about a musical prodigy, could manage no better than seventh spot, taking an average of just $2877 in each of its 152 cinemas for a total of $437,248.

In the US, Adam Sandler's and Drew Barrymore's 50 First Dates remained on top in its second weekend, earning an estimated $US21 million ($A26.9 million) between Friday and Sunday, bringing the romantic comedy's cumulative tally to more than $US72 million.

The runner-up was the comedy Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, starring Lindsay Lohan and Australia's Adam Garcia.

The critics, however, were scathing: "Why is this chiffon doodle essentially offensive?" wondered David Elliott from San Diego's Union-Tribune. "Because it is about nothing and it turns the dreams of girls into piffle."

Another new comedy, Welcome to Mooseport, debuted in fourth position but also fell foul of reviewers.

"A disappointingly limp small-town farce played several shades too broadly by a cast that has done better work elsewhere," was the verdict of The Boston Globe.